Crowd Sourcing Platforms = Independent Music 2.0

Now we are here to collaborate with YOU, humanoid, on the most exciting project we’ve ever done.

– De La Soul

Yesterday I received an email from De La Soul [I’m on their mailing list] informing me that they would be releasing their first album in a decade. It’s currently available for preorder on Kickstarter in digital, and physical format. Tiered levels of support come with perks, such as De La Soul USB keys, shoes and limited edition shirts. Needless to say, I’m excited to get my copy of the album in the mail, and review here for all of you.

It seems like many artists are finding themselves on platforms like Kickstarter (and indigogo) these days. Some notable projects have included Domingo’s Big Pun EP, and Ras Kass’s A.D.I.D.A.S project. Let’s face it, independent music sales isn’t easy, and the production of an album is (generally) far from free. Kickstarter campaigns really make an artist vulnerable, but can also help them gauge the loyalty of their fanbase, and actual demand for their music. Allowing fans to be a part of your process and know that their money is positively benefitting the actual production of your music is a valuable connection to make.

It’s this type of platform that has record labels scrambling. Kickstarter (and others) has unwittingly created a platform for musicians to sell music and keep 100% of the take, minus any personal overhead and nominal handling fee of course. My thought is that we may see that change in the future. Perhaps a Kickstarter for musicians, that finds a way to generate more revenue for the company. But for the time being, it’s an amazing outlet for acts like De La Soul, and up and coming acts such as Lil’Dicky to positively exploit growing fan bases, and loyal followers in a way that simply posting music for sale on services like Bandcamp can’t replicate..

Maybe instead of artist trying to change the face of music history with streaming music services, they should more intimately and authentically connect with their fans and produce a crowd sourced project. Just saying. This is the wave!

If you want to grab a copy of that new De La Soul, you have 29 days and counting!

Riley here — father, artist, videographer, professional writer and SERIOUS hip-hop head. I'm a member of the Universal Zulu Nation, and I think everything is better on vinyl.
Add me on Twitter! @specialdesigns

Today South Florida artist CameronAirborne, drops the music video for his song “No Cuffin” featuring buzzing rapper Jackboy. In the Andrew Colton directed music video, listeners get a hazy and psychedelic visual to go along with CameronAirborne‘s catchy Summer bop.

“The beat was a collaborative track with K.E. on the Track. He laced up the beat and I got Jackboy on there for the hook too. It’s just real catchy, we shot the video for the track and it just a had kind of club or pop vibe to it. It’s definitely a Summer song and its very upbeat and kind of fast paced, it def keeps the head nodding.”

Combing elements of guitar and singing, CameronAirborne has found a lane doing his own thing combining it all with rap after performing in a band early on in his career.

“I play guitar because I had played in a band before and I ended up rapping. It gave me stage experience and the drive to want to do my own thing.” CameronAirborneexplained. “I branched out and started doing my own music and I always wrote my own poetry so transitioning to rapping was natural. I can make trap music, I can make pop catchy sounding music and I can make real lyrical stuff too. When I put out a projects I try to put out a little something for everyone to take something away from the project.”

Although most of the world has been shut down over the past few months with COVID-19, Cameron Airborne remains busy producing instrumentals and gearing up for his own studio where he will be able to record artists there.

“Im just on the independent grind, I’m opening up my own studio and that way I can make money, just recording and doing sessions,”CameronAirborneexplained. “I’ve been producing my own instrumentals and so I have a lot of music lined up and some big features tucked away for the right time to present them.”

Recently Dallas, Texas rapper Fat Yunginnand Cash Money Records are happy to announce the Pleasant Grove rapper’s signing to their iconic rap label. Pictured above with Birdmanand Ronald “Slim” Williams, this young upstart has officially inked a deal with one of the most iconic Hip-Hop/Rap labels in the history of music.

First getting notoriety for his song “Sack Up” in 2016, Fat Yunginn says he always wanted to sign with Cash Money Records and that it’s a “perfect match.”

“I grew up off Cash Money, I grew up listening to them. I ain’t gonna lie I always wanted to be on Cash Money and I always wanted to sign with them. I don’t really go off what other people say or what they do and say about Cash Money. Birdman came up talking about he was the #1 Stunna and if you listen to my flow you can hear my ooh flow fits with this brand. Sack Season / Cash Money Records. It’s a perfect match.”

Raised in Dallas’ Pleasant Grove, Fat Yunginn drew inspiration from his father’s passing and from there began to take off on the strip club scene in Dallas.

“I’m from Dallas Texas, from a hood out there called Pleasant Grove. I started doing music once my Pops passed away and I just took to music and it was just going up from there. Once I dropped Sack Up it went crazy in the strip clubs and so after that I started taking it more seriously. One night I went in the strip club and tipped a couple of females and this big DJ in Dallas named DJ Hit That began spinning it. It took off from there and I did my first paid show off that song,” Fat Yunginn said. “As far as Dallas and the surrounding areas I was able to perform Sack Up out there and I was able to build up my brand. We’re called Sack Season Ent, but we call ourselves Sack Babies. Anything that has to do with a sack of money we about that. Thats basically how they know me around here.”

“I got another song called Show My Assthats another club banger with YellaBeezy and we gonna release that one through Cash Money. I got the visual for my next track, it’s just to get my sound out there a little more and my ooh flow. Its my ad lib you can hear in a lot of my songs. Then I have another with Rylo Rodriguez and another one with Euro Gotti. I got a lot of unreleased music I can’t wait for the fans to hear it,” he added. “I can get in there and start from scratch, the ooo flow, I have fun in the studio. When I came up with the ooh flow I was just playing around people have just been gravitating towards it.”

This week Gabby and Madi serves up their rendition of K.P. and Envyi’s classic hit “Swing My Way”, with a 2020 spin by producer justdoitBRISK. The teen duo have been blazing new trails with young audiences, delivering single after single in recent months. Check out their latest, “Swing My Way” here.

Ohio’s Ill NyQuil collaborates with 10cellphones to show the world what it looks like when Ohio and North Carolina come together in their latest single “Night.” Catering to the vibe enthusiasts, “Night” is available on all platforms.